Open Thread: What’s Your Freedom Story?

Some cultures have these built in to their history: diasporas enslaved and then freed, through faith or strength or miracles. Some people have these built into their lives: they have fled war, disaster, genocide, and poverty. And some people are born into freedom, and have never thought about it.

There is an ongoing call for submissions on The Good Life on Freedom. You can write a longer post, or simply add to the comments. Some people’s answer to this call on freedom is one of anarchy—no security, no justice system, only freedom—but naturally, the strongest are the most free, and this solution isn’t very free for the very old, for children, for caregivers, for people with disabilities. This view of freedom represents a threat to most political progressives. Yet, the opposite end of the spectrum from anarchy is not necessarily a democratic republic.

In The Handmaid’s Tale, one of the “aunts” in the “re-education center” where the narrator is sent tells her, “There are two kinds of freedom: freedom to and freedom from. This is freedom from.” This Orwellian doublespeak erases “security” from the language.

Where should the balance be struck between freedom and security? Does your vision of greater freedom for yourself represent less freedom for others?